editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Anthony Kuhn is NPR's correspondent based in Bejing, China, covering the great diversity of Asia's countries and cultures. Throughout his coverage he has taken an interest in China's rich traditional culture and its impact on the current day. He has recorded the sonic calling cards of itinerant merchants in Beijing's back alleys, and the descendants of court musicians of the Tang Dynasty. He has profiled petitioners and rights lawyers struggling for justice, and educational reformers striving to change the way Chinese think. From 2010-2013, Kuhn was NPR's Southeast Asia correspondent, based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Among other stories, he explored Borneo and Sumatra, and witnessed the fight to preserve the biodiversity of the world's oldest forests. He also followed Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, as she rose from political prisoner to head of state. During a previous tour in China from 2006-2010, Kuhn covered the Beijing Olympics, and the devastating Sichuan earthquake thatNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Anthony KuhnSun, 13 Aug 2017 21:43:15 +0000Anthony Kuhnhttp://peoriapublicradio.org
Anthony KuhnCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit STACEY VANEK SMITH, HOST: Countries around the world have reacted with alarm to the mounting threats and rhetoric being exchanged between the U.S. and North Korea. Pyongyang has threatened to launch missiles at the waters near the U.S. territory of Guam in the western Pacific. And yesterday, President Trump called the governor of Guam to reassure him that U.S. forces stand ready to protect the island. NPR's Elise Hu is in Guam. She joins us now. ELISE HU, BYLINE: Hi there. SMITH: And we've also got NPR's Anthony Kuhn on the line in Beijing. Hi, Anthony. ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: Hey, Stacey. SMITH: So Elise, let's start with you. What are things like in Guam right now. Are people worried? HU: There's a mix of reactions here in Guam. But we should say that the governor here insists the public threat level has not gone up as a result of Wednesday's announcement from North Korea that it was planning or considering a plan to test missiles to land in theReactions Out Of China And Guam Over Exchanges Between U.S. And North Korea http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/reactions-out-china-and-guam-over-exchanges-between-us-and-north-korea
79129 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgSat, 12 Aug 2017 21:55:00 +0000Reactions Out Of China And Guam Over Exchanges Between U.S. And North Korea Anthony KuhnCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: There's no question what the blockbuster film in China is this summer. An action flick called "Wolf Warrior II" has taken in more than half a billion dollars in its first two weeks. That's a new box office record for China. NPR's Anthony Kuhn looks at some of the factors behind the picture's success. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: The wolf warrior of the movie's title is a Chinese special forces soldier named Leng Feng. When the cops in Leng's town don't protect his home, he takes the law into his own hands and gets kicked out of the military for it. That's an unusual plotline for a Chinese movie, says Shanghai-based film critic Dong Shu. DONG SHU: (Through interpreter) The film uses a Hollywood style of storytelling and production quality, and Chinese audiences go for this kind of thing. KUHN: Leng gets a security job on a ship headed to Africa. Meanwhile, Chinese workers and some of Leng's friends are trapped inChinese Blockbuster 'Wolf Warrior II' Mixes Jingoism With Hollywood Heroismhttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinese-blockbuster-wolf-warrior-ii-mixes-jingoism-hollywood-heroism
79047 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgThu, 10 Aug 2017 20:27:00 +0000Chinese Blockbuster 'Wolf Warrior II' Mixes Jingoism With Hollywood HeroismAnthony KuhnIn China, a country where all media are nominally owned by the state, the government invests vast amounts of money and labor into controlling information. Having any investigative journalists at all is no mean feat. But in Hunan, the journalism can be as spicy as the chili pepper-laden cuisine for which the province is known. "Hunan produces the best investigative journalists in the country," says Luo Changping, who until 2014 was one of them. One reason for this, he says, is that "no matter how poor people are in Hunan, they're very concerned about politics." In recent years, though, Luo and other members of the influential "Hunan gang" of investigative journalists — which, in its heyday, brought down powerful political figures and exposed human rights abuses — have quit the business. To find out why, I recently met Luo at the Yuelu Academy, a 1,000-year-old school in Hunan's provincial capital, Changsha, which is near where he works. On the campus full of stately, classicalChina's Few Investigative Journalists Face Increasing Challengeshttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinas-few-investigative-journalists-face-increasing-challenges
78843 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgSun, 06 Aug 2017 12:08:00 +0000China's Few Investigative Journalists Face Increasing ChallengesAnthony KuhnA software developer in southern China surnamed Xie was at home on a recent day, when he responded to a knock on the door. He opened it to find three plainclothes policemen. Xie asks that we just use his last name, because he fears being arrested. At the time, he was selling VPN apps on Apple's China app store. VPNs — virtual private networks — help people access Internet content that's blocked in China. He says one of the policemen told him: "Somebody has discovered that you're selling circumvention software. That's illegal." Then they asked him to let them inspect his computer. Xie says the police told him to remove his VPN from the Apple App Store. Xie didn't want to go to jail, so he complied, and the cops left. He said he could have put the VPN back later. But not long after that, Apple removed all VPNs from its China app store. The apps remain accessible in Apple app stores outside China. The move is part of a crackdown by Chinese authorities on any efforts by its citizens toBehind China's VPN Crackdown, A 'Game Of Cat And Mouse' Continueshttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/china-steps-efforts-block-virtual-private-networks
78781 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgFri, 04 Aug 2017 12:15:00 +0000Behind China's VPN Crackdown, A 'Game Of Cat And Mouse' ContinuesAnthony KuhnCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Some of China's investigative journalists are quitting. Yes, there are investigative journalists in China. All the media - all of them - are run by the state. Yet some reporters, at some of those state-controlled outlets, were able to investigate and even bring down allegedly corrupt officials - at least they could until the last few years. Here's NPR's Anthony Kuhn. (SOUNDBITE OF FROGS AND INSECTS CHIRPING) ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: A chorus of frogs and cicadas fills the muggy air in Changsha. It's the capital of southern Hunan province. I'm at the Yuelu Academy, a thousand-year-old school filled with stately classical buildings and tributes to famous graduates who have shaped the course of China's history. I'm here to meet former journalist Luo Changping, who says Hunan's local culture had a big impact on his career. LUO CHANGPING: (Through interpreter) No matter how poor people are in Hunan, they're very concerned withState Control Leaves Investigative Journalists In China Demoralizedhttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/state-control-leaves-investigative-journalists-china-demoralized
78376 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgThu, 27 Jul 2017 11:45:00 +0000State Control Leaves Investigative Journalists In China DemoralizedAnthony Kuhn"Liu Xia is free." A Chinese official made this assertion to allay concerns that the widow of prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who died July 13, remains under house arrest — as she has been for most of the time since her husband was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. "We want Liu Xia to avoid more trouble," added the official, Shenyang city government spokesman Zhang Qingyang, speaking at a press briefing on Saturday. But he did not specify her whereabouts. "I believe the relevant departments will protect Liu Xia's rights according to the law," he told reporters. As far as many of her family, friends and supporters are concerned, Liu Xia is missing — probably still in custody and under surveillance of authorities, if not under house arrest. Foreign journalists who went looking for her in recent days say they were harassed by plainclothes security officials. The Norwegian Nobel Committee "is deeply worried about Liu Xia's situation in the aftermath of her husband's tragic death,After Liu Xiaobo's Death, Concerns Grow For His Widow's Well-Beinghttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/after-liu-xiaobos-death-concerns-grow-his-widows-well-being
77998 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgTue, 18 Jul 2017 19:09:00 +0000After Liu Xiaobo's Death, Concerns Grow For His Widow's Well-BeingAnthony KuhnCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has died of liver cancer. He was 61. He died on medical parole while serving an 11-year prison sentence for subversion. NPR's Anthony Kuhn has more from Beijing. ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: By the time Liu was diagnosed in May, his liver cancer was already in its late stages. China's government insisted it was giving Liu good medical care, but it rejected foreign governments' calls for him to be allowed to seek treatment overseas. Liu's biographer and friend, the U.S.-based dissident Yu Jie, argues that China's government feared Liu getting out of jail alive. YU JIE: (Through interpreter) Because once his sentence is up and he gets out, he would become a standard bearer for China's democratization and civil society. KUHN: During the 1980s, Liu was a lecturer at Beijing Normal University, a scathing literary critic and a dissident even among dissidents. Princeton China scholarChinese Dissident And Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo Dies At 61http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinese-dissident-and-nobel-laureate-liu-xiaobo-dies-61-0
77792 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgThu, 13 Jul 2017 20:35:00 +0000Chinese Dissident And Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo Dies At 61Anthony KuhnProminent dissident Liu Xiaobo, the only Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize while still residing in China, has died at age 61. Liu died Thursday while on medical parole in northeastern China's Shenyang city, where he was being treated for liver cancer. He was serving an 11-year prison sentence for trying to overthrow the government. By the time Liu, a scholar and human rights advocate, was diagnosed in late May , his liver cancer was already in its late stages. Chinese authorities released video footage intended to show that Liu had been receiving good medical care, and they invited U.S. and German doctors to treat him. But Beijing rejected calls to allow him to seek treatment overseas. Liu's biographer and friend, the U.S.-based dissident Yu Jie , believes that China's government had a motive to withhold or delay treatment: It feared the consequences of Liu getting out of prison alive. In that case, Yu says, "he would [have] become a standard-bearer for China'sChinese Nobel Peace Laureate And Human Rights Advocate Liu Xiaobo Dieshttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinese-nobel-peace-laureate-and-human-rights-advocate-liu-xiaobo-dies
77765 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgThu, 13 Jul 2017 13:34:00 +0000Chinese Nobel Peace Laureate And Human Rights Advocate Liu Xiaobo DiesAnthony KuhnWith China's most famous living dissident, Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, on the verge of death, his supporters continue to call for him to be allowed to leave the country — to either get medical treatment or at least die a free man. In decades past, China sometimes released high-profile dissidents, who went overseas. But the days when China was willing to cut a deal with the U.S. or other countries and send a dissident into exile are long gone. China today is far more confident of itself and its power relative to other countries, and analysts believe President Xi Jinping would be hard-pressed to see any benefit to releasing even the most celebrated dissident, especially in a year when a leadership transition is scheduled. "Unless Xi Jinping sees why it is in his advantage to let Liu Xiaobo leave, why would he do it?" asks John Kamm, a San Francisco-based human rights campaigner and head of the rights group Dui Hua , Chinese for "Dialogue." The only possible exception, he notes,As China's Strength Has Grown, So Has Its Unwillingness To Let Dissidents Leavehttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinas-strength-has-grown-so-has-its-unwillingness-let-dissidents-leave
77721 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgWed, 12 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0000As China's Strength Has Grown, So Has Its Unwillingness To Let Dissidents LeaveAnthony KuhnCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: China's most famous living dissident is dying of liver cancer. His name is Liu Xiaobo. And among other things, he called for an end to Communist one-party rule in China. In 2010, he received a Nobel Prize. He's also been in prison. Now he would like to get medical treatment outside of China, but China is reluctant to let him go. There was a time when Chinese authorities let dissidents go into exile but not so much anymore. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing. ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: Liu Xiaobo's doctors said on Tuesday that he's in critical condition and his organs are failing. He's being treated at a hospital in northeast China's Shenyang city. On Saturday, doctors crowded around Liu's hospital bed. A man resembling German doctor Markus Buchler is seen on video speaking to Liu's wife, Liu Xia. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) MARKUS BUCHLER: It is very, very good that the doctors from China have asked us to come and toChina Less Willing To Send Dissidents Abroad Than Beforehttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/china-less-willing-send-dissidents-abroad
77706 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgWed, 12 Jul 2017 08:54:00 +0000China Less Willing To Send Dissidents Abroad Than BeforeAnthony Kuhnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPdl3uxW3aI In China, a futuristic new kind of urban transport that its promoters claimed would beat traffic jams appears to have gone off the rails. That became clear last week when police arrested the people behind the project on suspicion of fraud. Dubbed the Transit Elevated Bus, the vehicle looks a bit like a catamaran on rails or a bus that straddles two lanes of traffic. Gridlock? No problem. The electric contraption would just whisk its cabin full of 300 or so passengers right over it. Following the project's unveiling in 2010, the vehicle's designer told the official People's Daily newspaper that five Chinese cities had signed contracts to establish pilot projects using the buses. Time magazine hailed it as one of "The 50 Best Inventions of 2010." Last August, a prototype actually made test runs on the streets of the northern port city of Qinhuangdao. But experts raised doubts about the feasibility of the idea from the very start. How, theyChina's Elevated Bus Project Seemed Too Good To Be True — And It Washttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinas-elevated-bus-project-seemed-too-good-be-true-and-it-was
77466 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgThu, 06 Jul 2017 13:44:00 +0000China's Elevated Bus Project Seemed Too Good To Be True — And It WasAnthony KuhnCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: In China, a futuristic new kind of urban transport that was intended to beat traffic jams appears now to have gone off the rails. NPR's Anthony Kuhn has the story from Beijing. ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: The contraption looks a bit like a catamaran on rails or a bus that straddles traffic, with a cabin for passengers about seven feet off the ground. Right off the bat, experts had doubts about the vehicle, dubbed the Transit Elevated Bus. How would it deal with curves, for example, or corners, pedestrian overpasses or tall trucks? Shingling is an urban transport expert at Tongji University in Shanghai. SHEN GANG: (Speaking Chinese). KUHN: "The elevated bus would just get stuck in traffic and make things even worse," he says, "the idea was absurd, childish." Last week, police arrested the man who bought the patents for the bus, 47-year-old Bai Zhiming and 31 employees of his online lending company. State media say investors put upTraffic Solution Project In China Appears To Be An Investment Scamhttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/traffic-solution-project-china-appears-be-investment-scam
77398 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgWed, 05 Jul 2017 10:21:00 +0000Traffic Solution Project In China Appears To Be An Investment ScamAnthony KuhnTo the rest of China, the remote, landlocked region known as Guizhou province has been a wild and rugged backwater, for all but the last 500 years of the country's history. Now, it's at the leading edge of China's technological ambitions. Aboriginal tribes inhabited this part of Southwest China until members of the majority Han ethnic group began settling there around the 10th century B.C. It didn't become a province of a unified China until five centuries after that. Today, Guizhou's economy ranks 25th out of 31 Chinese provinces. Jagged karst peaks make the landscape difficult to navigate and cultivate. It is home to a disproportionate number of China's roughly 60 million "left-behind children," whose parents have sought work in the cities, leaving them in the care of relatives. But the province is pursuing an ambitious strategy to surge to the forefront of China's high-tech sector. It has picked big data as the industry that will make the most of its natural advantages. Guizhou'sA Remote Chinese Province Uses Its Climate To Grow A Big-Data Industryhttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/remote-chinese-province-uses-its-climate-grow-big-data-industry
77329 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgMon, 03 Jul 2017 20:32:00 +0000A Remote Chinese Province Uses Its Climate To Grow A Big-Data IndustryAnthony KuhnPeople in China have been paying cash for things for thousands of years, long before other civilizations. Now, increasingly, they're paying with their cellphones. So while the Trump administration hailed a bilateral deal in May, that would allow U.S. credit card firms including Visa and Mastercard access to the China market, it may not be the coup those firms hoped. Chinese consumers are essentially leapfrogging plastic, and going straight from cash to mobile payments. Chinese spent $5.5 trillion through mobile payment platforms last year, about 50 times the amount in the U.S., according to reports . Nowhere is the cashless trend more obvious than in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is home to Alibaba, the world's largest online shopping platform. Its mobile payment app, Alipay, and WeChat Pay, which belongs to the country's leading social messaging platform, together hold a commanding 90 percent of the market, leaving Apple Pay struggling to make inroads . I recently spentIn China, A Cashless Trend Is Taking Hold With Mobile Paymentshttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/china-people-are-increasingly-paying-things-their-cellphones
77139 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgThu, 29 Jun 2017 11:44:00 +0000In China, A Cashless Trend Is Taking Hold With Mobile PaymentsAnthony KuhnOne of China's most controversial celebrations, the annual dog meat festival in southwest China's Yulin City, is underway. The event inflames passions among the celebrants and their critics to such a degree that the local government seems to be in a bind, unable to placate either side. Activists say that this year, the government issued a ban on the sale of dog meat, only to reverse following an outcry from locals. "It's really confusing," says Zhang Xiaohai, secretary general of the AITA Foundation for Animal Protection in Beijing. The week-long festival, centered on the summer solstice each year, opens a window on changing — often conflicting — attitudes in China about animals, meat and humans. Last month, dog meat vendors tipped off animal rights activists that the Yulin government had issued a verbal ban. Some groups hailed it as a victory. But state-run media on June 15 quoted officials as saying that festival is not an official event, and the government hadn't issued any ban. China's Doggy Debate: Dog Meat Lovers Vs. Dog Lovershttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinas-doggy-debate-dog-meat-lovers-vs-dog-lovers
76839 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgThu, 22 Jun 2017 14:29:00 +0000China's Doggy Debate: Dog Meat Lovers Vs. Dog LoversAnthony KuhnA Chinese labor activist has been arrested and two others have disappeared after investigating alleged labor abuses at a factory that makes shoes for several major brands — including Ivanka Trump's. Hua Haifeng disappeared sometime Sunday while en route to the Huajian International shoe factory in southern China. On Tuesday, police in the province called Hua's wife, Deng Guimian. "They said, 'You only need to know that your husband has been arrested on criminal charges,' " Deng told NPR by phone from her home in Hubei province. " 'You don't need to know anything other than that.' " Hua works for China Labor Watch , a New York-based group that investigates violations of workers' rights. China Labor Watch says two of Hua's colleagues are also missing and presumed detained. Deng said she has not informed the couple's two young children, her own parents or Hua's about the incident. She wants to keep from upsetting them. And she says she is indignant at how police have treated her husband. China Detains Activist Investigating Factory Making Ivanka Trump Shoeshttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinese-activists-detained-after-investigating-factory-making-ivanka-trump-shoes
75768 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgWed, 31 May 2017 17:32:00 +0000China Detains Activist Investigating Factory Making Ivanka Trump ShoesAnthony Kuhnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtnKJqDECnE A Chinese student who praised the "fresh air of free speech" in the U.S. during her commencement address at the University of Maryland is facing an online backlash from classmates and from people in China who say she insulted her own country. Shuping Yang, who graduated with a double-major in psychology and theater, is from the city of Kunming in southwest China. As she prepared to speak on Sunday, her mother waved a bouquet of flowers at her from the audience. China has nearly 330,000 students in the U.S., far and away the largest contingent of any country. Yang's speech is one of a number of events that have caused acrimonious political debates among them. Yang told the assembly that pollution was so bad in her hometown that she had to wear face masks to keep from getting sick. She also described the evolution of her political views, saying that she once believed that "only authorities control the narrative, only authorities could defineChinese Student's Commencement Speech In U.S. Isn't Going Over Well In Chinahttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinese-students-commencement-speech-us-isnt-going-over-well-china
75398 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgTue, 23 May 2017 17:50:00 +0000Chinese Student's Commencement Speech In U.S. Isn't Going Over Well In ChinaAnthony KuhnOver the weekend, China pledged tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure financing and development aid, and elicited support from scores of countries to promote economic integration and free global trade through the creation of what Beijing is calling a "new Silk Road." Twenty-nine heads of state and representatives of more than 130 countries attended the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. At its conclusion, leaders signed a communiqué espousing a "shared commitment to building an open economy, ensuring free and inclusive trade [and] opposing all forms of protectionism." The plan would, in theory, create a network of trade routes, rail lines, ports and highways, linking countries on four continents. China is calling it the "plan of the century." So far, nearly 70 countries have signed agreements with China to participate in the initiative, known as One Belt, One Road. Many of China's Asian neighbors are sorely in need of infrastructure investmentFor China's 'New Silk Road,' Ambitious Goals And More Than A Few Challengeshttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/chinas-new-silk-road-ambitious-goals-and-more-few-challenges
75040 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgTue, 16 May 2017 20:48:00 +0000For China's 'New Silk Road,' Ambitious Goals And More Than A Few ChallengesAnthony KuhnU.S. diplomats staged a rare intervention to rescue the family of a human rights lawyer held in China. The attorney was released last week, after having been swept up in a two-year-old crackdown that has put most of the country's rights lawyers and legal activists out of business. Human rights groups have been watching to see whether the Trump administration will take a more or less muscular approach to human rights in China than their predecessors, and this case highlights some of the issues at stake. The target of the rescue was Chen Guiqiu, a professor of environmental science, and the wife of human rights lawyer Xie Yang. Chen had fled China with the couple's two daughters in February, fearing for their safety. They snuck into Thailand, but local authorities raided their safe house and detained them. On March 2, Chen was locked up in a Bangkok immigration jail. "I couldn't communicate with the outside world," Chen recalls. "I was worried, almost in despair, and in my heart, I wasFor Family Of Embattled Chinese Lawyer, A Long Road To Safety — With U.S. Helphttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/family-embattled-chinese-lawyer-long-road-safety-us-help
74921 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgSun, 14 May 2017 12:42:00 +0000For Family Of Embattled Chinese Lawyer, A Long Road To Safety — With U.S. HelpAnthony KuhnOn a back street in Osaka, the sound of schoolchildren floats out of Tsukamoto Kindergarten. A cuckoo clock and a stand of bamboo sit in front of the school building's orange facade — and Astro Boy, a cartoon figure, looks down from a window. From its exterior, there's no visible sign that the school is at the center of a scandal on which the leader of Japan has staked his political future. The school's owner is accused of using his relationship with Japan's first family to secure a plot of land for a new, right-wing primary school at a massive discount. Despite the scandal, Tsukamoto Kindergarten's traditional teachings have been an attraction to some parents. "I decided to send my son there because they teach shogi [Japanese chess] and kendo [Japanese swordsmanship]," says parent Mrs. Sakamoto. "And they serve nice lunches." Mrs. Sakamoto asked that we not use her full name in order to protect her 5-year-old son, who was forced to leave the school after she got into a dispute withLand Deal For Right-Wing Elementary School Plagues Japanese Prime Ministerhttp://peoriapublicradio.org/post/land-deal-right-wing-elementary-school-plagues-japanese-prime-minister
74738 as http://peoriapublicradio.orgWed, 10 May 2017 14:01:00 +0000Land Deal For Right-Wing Elementary School Plagues Japanese Prime Minister